Judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion for deceiving Facebook users about privacy

SANTA FE, N.M. (KVIA) -- Wednesday, a judge ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion in civil penalties after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy policies on Facebook.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the verdict in the state's landmark Cambridge Analytica case against Facebook.

The New Mexico Department of Justice said Facebook committed 43,899,725 violations of New Mexico law.

"We took on one of the largest companies in the world because New Mexicans deserve honesty, accountability, and the protection of their personal information. Today’s result makes clear that no corporation is too powerful to be held accountable," Torrez said in a statement.

NMDOJ said the Cambridge Analytica data breach involved the misuse of personal information collected through Facebook. Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, took Facebook user data to make targeted political ads for the 2016 election.

The state challenged Facebook's representations to consumers about its data practices and efforts to address misinformation.

In the first phase of the trial, a New Mexico jury found that Facebook violated the State’s Unfair Practices Act 43,899,725 times. A trial examined the company's statements and practices about user privacy, third-party access to personal information and handling of harmful content.

The state's allegations were tested in court, and Facebook was held accountable under New Mexico law.

NMDOJ said the state secured one of the largest financial penalties against a corporation in U.S. history.